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Vimy - Part Deux

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A tale of up-cocks and the need to buy a map. What could possibly go wrong? No satnav and no paper map? Nothing of course. Once I was on the A26, cruise set to 110kph, plain sailing.  Junction 6 for Béthune is soon passed. I had expected 6.1 to be close by. It isn't. Doubt sets in. Next is the A21 signed to Lens and Douai  (pron doo-eye) and yes a D road as well.  Souchez is on the right of the A26. So track right on a new road. No signs of life, no signage... Not good. Arrive Barlin. New supermarket. No maps. Ask idiot-villageur for directions. Follow them and find myself in Mont St Eloi where the abbey was shelled and the structure remains. A sort of bombed shell. No access though. Not today anyway. Head off towards Arras expecting to see a signpost. None. Enter Arras and buy a map at Auchun. It seems that at Mont St Eloi I was about 4 miles away as I stood in the sun. By now the hour ...
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Almost the Last Chance

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Once Mr Dale had sorted Döra's earth lead, I togged up and set off about three hours later than planned. The TomTom fastest route was M20 and M25 then A-roads to Edenbridge. On google maps the Last Chance is shown but the waypoint isn't quite right. In the end it is about fifty yards away. I turned in and took a couple of pix. I arrived after they had closed unfortunately. I had no idea how to mark the car-park as the waypoint on the TomTom. On the old Garmin Quest there is a simple "where am I" button and you can give the waypoint a reference. I set it to record route, and then set a route for home. So at least the exact waypoint will be marked. No cockups next week I hope. Until recently I didn't realise I had more options for planning routes. I now seem to have wonders like "winding road" as well as bicycle and walking!  Before I had only fastest and shortest! The run home was the shorter "winding road" an...
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To the Emirates

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Today. It was going to be sunny. It was going to be warm. It's England. So I made sure I had leather jeans on and the heavier jacket. There was no sun,  but it was warm. Comfortable ride up to London.  Curiously home to work and back isn't as far as it used to be. Either the tectonic  plate has moved and Hythe is nearer London, or the odometer is different compared with the GS. The Emirates Stadium is about half a mile from where I work. I had a ride round the bike parking spaces around the stadium and they were all full so I ended up parking in a school up the road. It costs a fiver but at least the staff are on hand to keep an eye on the bikes and cars parked there. In future I might as well park at work and walk up! I might even be able to get in the building and change out of bike gear for the game. The ride up.  I gave myself plenty of time for a 1.30pm kick-off, leaving home at 10.45 and having a genteel cruise control  run up. The cruise set at a healthy ...
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